The Cooperative Approach

Kachemak Kids ELC is a cooperative-style early education and child care center. We require our families to contribute 6 hours of ‘Parent-Time' each month. A variety of opportunities make this easy for families to achieve. In addition to spending time engaged in the life of the classroom, providing cleaning support, pet care, snacks, and other services all contribute toward the cooperative obligation. Community involvement in the school is also extremely valued. We deeply appreciate and rely on donations of materials and funds to support our innovative approach to working with young children.

Relationships are the life-blood of the school. At Kachemak Kids, we value the connections between child and child, child and teacher, child and parent, and teacher and parent. Each of these partnerships contributes to the educational success of our children.

Child to Child: Forging strong, cooperative bonds between students helps to ensure that our children love coming to school. It is here that they get the opportunity to learn skills of collaboration, social problem-solving, friendship, and kindness through sharing, assisting, and turn-taking.

Child to Teacher: When child and teacher cooperate as co-learners children feel that their ideas are valued and honored. At KKELC, teachers work side-by-side with students as they explore passions and concepts that are relevant to their lives. Strong connections between a child and their teachers helps to ensure that children feel respected and loved, and are excited to come to school.

Child to Parent: We believe that it is essential that parents are deeply connected to the educational lives of their children. The parent cooperative approach at KKELC aims at connecting parents to their children's school lives. Consistency between home and school, as well as the opportunity to extend lessons and passions beyond the classroom are just a couple of the ways that children benefit from their parent's classroom involvement.

Teacher to Parent: A solid partnership between home and school ensures that the goals and educational approaches for each child are individualized for each of our students. No one knows your child as well as you, and we rely on a strong partnership to create the best program possible for your child and family.